


A Kindness

by hatouji



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-08 20:03:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18630340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hatouji/pseuds/hatouji
Summary: Even if Kieran was a big bad O'Driscoll like everyone claimed, you felt sorry for the way he was treated.





	A Kindness

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. rdr2 and Kieran Duffy have ruined my life. I felt so bad throughout the game for him. He really really deserved better so I tried to channel some of those feelings into a short fic. I don't think I wrote him very well but I'll try to improve!

Dejected, would be one way to describe him, head hung, eyes squeezed shut and dark hair falling into his face. Every so often someone would approach the pot of stew and his head would bob up, eyeing each bowl hoping that one would eventually be for him. But nobody had food for an O’Driscoll, they made that very clear as they brushed past him sneering, cruelly taunting him with the smell. You wondered if Pearson cooked right in front of his nose on purpose, whether he’d really be so cruel but after the treatment you’d seen towards Kieran for the past few weeks from the others, you wouldn’t put it past him.

You were grateful for the food, even if the stew’s contents were questionable at best when it came to Pearson, but you felt sick to your stomach. Each spoonful was like slime, sticking in your throat. How could you eat when he was just a few feet away, hanging there pitifully? With a sigh, you set aside the bowl. The poor man would starve to death if this continued, though you supposed the gang didn’t particularly care about that, likely hoping he would eventually break. You, on the other hand, were certain that even if he was an O’Driscoll, he wasn’t important enough to have been told any groundbreaking information that he could eventually share with any of you. This treatment was unnecessarily cruel.

You lay back in your tent, heart heavy. It wasn’t like you could say anything. You were a fairly new member of the gang, your position was still fragile. At best they would laugh at you, at worst they would claim you are in league with the O’Driscolls yourself and cast you out. It’s not like you would argue for his release. But did they really have to starve him, taunt him in such a way?

It must have been hours since the sun went down when everyone finally went to sleep or passed out in a drunken stupor. You sat through the bickering, the singing and other drunken antics until finally, silence. Peeking out of your tent, you took a look around to confirm nobody was watching. Then you carefully stepped out, holding the bowl in shaky hands, trying to keep the rustling to a minimal. The stew was cold by now, slightly hardened and almost a sludge but it was all you could offer, you couldn’t risk waking anyone up by going to rummage for anything else. 

When you were a few steps away from Kieran, you nudged him softly on the arm. He shot up abruptly and his mouth opened to yelp out in surprise; you had woken him up and he no doubt thought he was going to be interrogated again or worse, but you frantically put a hand to his mouth and shushed him. His eyes widened and he remained tense but he stayed silent, much to your relief. Carefully, you spooned some stew and held it in front of his mouth and his eyebrows quirked in confusion but he leaned forward and ate what you offered eagerly until there was no more.

“You’re gonna have to start talking eventually. They aren’t gonna let up you know,” you softly whispered, and he gave a sigh.

“But I don’t know nothing, ma’am.”

“Something, tell them anything. I don’t like seeing them treat you like this.”

“Why d'you care?” he asked suspiciously.

“I’ve seen plenty of them O’Driscolls and what they can do but I know you ain’t one of them, at least you ain’t like them. You’re not a bad man, I can see it in your eyes. You probably didn’t mean to get tangled up in this mess, did you?”

“I had nowhere else to go. I don’t know what you see in me but I can’t help you. They’d kill me.”

“You’re not much better off here,” you argued, “either you’re gonna starve or they’ll get impatient and find other ways of making you talk.”

He nodded in acknowledgement but said nothing, eyes downcast as you stared him down.

“I’ll see if I can get you some more food tomorrow, okay? Something better than this muck.”

“I- thank you. I know you would’ve got in trouble for this if anyone saw.”

You frowned slightly but nodded. You wanted to say something more, some words of reassurance but nothing could come to you. He was in a shitty situation and you didn’t see things getting better anytime soon, especially with the way Dutch had been acting of late. You settled on patting him on the cheek gently in an attempt to offer some sort of comfort with a small smile before walking away and back to your tent, leaving him to stare after you in wonder, cheeks aflame. Arthur shook his head at the sight.


End file.
